Midterm (Min. 3yr) Follow-up of Patients With Single Spiral/Oblique Finger Metacarpal Fracture

The original trial was a noninferiority randomized controlled trial evaluating 42 patients. Randomization was performed 1:1 to either nonoperative treatment with mobilization initiated immediately following recruitment or operative treatment using ORIF with cortical screws or locking compression plate (LCP) and screw fixation. The non-inferiority margin (NIM) was defined as -15% grip strength of the injured hand relative to the contralateral hand. The same NIM will be used for this trial. Because subtle biomechanical changes (mainly metacarpal bone shortening) could theoretically cause problems not evident at 1-year follow-up (such as joint degeneration from changes in load distribution), the investigators plan to re-evaluate the patients for a longer-term follow-up. Only patients included in the original trial will be eligible for inclusion in this extended follow-up. Participation will be offered via mail invitation, and participants will be offered financial compensation in the form of a single payment of 500SEK. Data collection will be performed in a single outpatient hospital visit where patient history, subjective outcome data and bilateral plain radiography of the hands will be obtained.